Refrigerator



- J. D. MITCHELL REFRI GERATOR Filed Dec. 15; 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1ATTORNEY WITNESSE5:

Dec, 9, 1924..

J. D. MITCHELL REFRIGERATOR Filed Dec. 15, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 John D.Mitchell ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

Patented Dec. 9, 1924.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-.2

JOHN D. MITCHELL, 03' NW ALBANY, INDIANA.

REFRIGERATOR Application filed December 15, 1923. Serial No. 686,973.

I which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerators and has for its object theprovision of a refrigerator having double walls separated by a vacuumspace whereby to obtain the maximum heat insulating qualities to insurethorough refrigeration.

An important object is the provision of a refrigerator of this characterin which the doors are likewise of hollow construction so as to have avacuum formed therein, a peculiar means being provided for establishingcommunication between the interior of the doors and the interior of thewall the body so that the air may be exhausted from all at the sametime.

I Another object is the provision of a device of this character whlchwill be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, highly efficient .in use,durable in service and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device,

Figure '2 is a vertical settion taken in a plane parallel with thedoors,

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through the doors or from front toback of the device,

Figure 4 is a line 4--4 of Figure 2, p

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1showing the communicating means between the doors and the body,

Figure 6 is a'detail view of the pump,

Figure 7 is an enlarged detaii section through the'double wall of arefri erator showing a modified spacing means for the walls, p

Figure 8 is a detail elevation of a. portion of a wall constructed inaccord States, residing atvided as shown.

horizontal section on the sin e t Referring more particularly to thedrawings I have shown the refrigerator as comprising an uprightrectangular body or casing designated broadly by the numeral 10, whichcasing may have suitable supporting feet 11 or the like for spacing itabove the floor or other support upon which it is placed. This casing orbody is shown as formed of outer and inner walls 12 and 13 respectivelywhich are lined with. corrugated iron indicated at 14. The spacing'o thewalls is continuous throughout the sides, top, back and bottom of thebody so as to define a continuous chamber 15 from which the air isexhausted by means of a suction pump 16 suitably mounted on one side ofthe casing and having a pipe 17 leading throu h the outer wall intothespace 15.

The detailed construction of the pump may f be such as preferred thoughit is here illustrated as having a piston rod 18 carrying a handle foreffecting operation of the piston 19, suitable automatic valves beingpro- Mounted on the top or at some suitable place is a gauge 20 forindicating the degree of vacuum.

[The front of the body or casing may be provided with any desired numberof openings, two being indicated in the present instance and theseopenings are intended to be closed by doors 21 which are of hollowconstruction and which include outer and inner walls 22 and 23 spacedapart to define a chamber 24. These doors may be equipped with anysuitable latch mechanism as that illustrated and they are or casing bysuch supported from the body means of hinges 26.

The essential feature of the invention lies in the peculiar means forestablishing communication between the hollow doors and the hollow wallof the body. This means consists of a helical flexible tube 27 shaped toresemble a helical spring and having one arm or end 28 extending throughthe lunged edge of the door into the interior thereof, and havin itsother end or arm 29 extendin throng the closed forward ed e of the holow .wall of the body. When t edoors are 0 ened, the members 27 mustyield in exact y the same manner as a sprin and for this reason they areconstructedo resilient material.

Any desired. time; r h l e or P t In the case of large refrigerators theuse of the above described corrugated iron for spacing the walls mightnot be sufiiciently strong to withstand the strains produced by theexhaustion of the air from the space between the walls. In such aninstance it is preferable to make use of the bracing construction shownin Figures 7 and 8. Referring to these figures, it will be seen that Ihave shown the inner Wall as formed as a sheet 31 of ironof suitablegage secured to intersecting bars 32 arranged against both sidesthereof, the sheet 31 being convexed between the intersecting strips andbraced by angle irons 33 of T- shape, In other respects the constructionwould be the same as above described.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right tomake such changes in theform, construction and arrangement of parts as1,51e,ees

will not depart from the s irit of the invention or the scope of the sujoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising abody formed of spaced walls definingaextending throughout the sides, top, back and bottom, the front beingformed with openings, doors hinged upon the front for closingsaidopenings, the doors being of hollow construction,'and meansestablishing communication between the interiors of the doors and thehollow wall of the body, said means comprising helical coils of tubularformation having their ends extendinginto the doors and the hollow Wallof the body.

2. In a refrigerator, a body construction consisting of outer and innerwalls spaced apart, the inner vWall consisting of intersectng stripslocated at both sides of a metal sheet, the sheet being convexedoutwardly between the strips, and bracing wires T- shaped in crosssection se and certain of the strips. c I

In testimony-whereof I afix my signature.

.io N n. MITCHELL.

cured to the sheet continuous space

